FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU — After nearly three months of reconstruction, Sayafiyah residents celebrated the simultaneous openings of the Sayafiyah Governance Center, Veterinary Clinic and Health Clinic on May 20.
“This is their day,” said Capt. Joe Johnson, commander of Company C, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, currently attached to 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
All three of the projects were a result of teamwork between Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), and the civilian population.
“They are great people down here who want to help themselves,” said Sgt. Jeremy Johnson, a medic with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1-187th Inf. Regt. “They put a lot of hard work into this,” he said, pointing to the restored health center. “Before, it was just rubble.”
Like the buildings, the community itself had been in dire straits. Once a safe haven for al-Qaida in Iraq, the community was held in bondage out of fear, said Lt. Col. R.J. Lillibridge, 1-187th Inf. Regt. commander.
The tide turned for the better with the arrival of the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division in January.
With the support of this unit, the beginnings of a Sons of Iraq program took shape. However, due to the end of their deployment, the 5-7th Cav. Regt. could not pursue any long-term reconstruction efforts in the area before handing responsibility over to the 1-187th Inf. Regt.
When the 1-187th Inf. Regt. first arrived, Capt. Johnson said his unit began to strengthen the recently-risen SoI program and assess the area’s needs. Those needs, in addition to the health and vet clinic, included restoring two water pump stations, two water treatment plants and two schools, he said.
But most importantly was the need to establish a government structure in the area.
“We want to see Iraqi people taking care of Iraqis, and the Iraqi government facilitating the needs of their representatives,” said Capt. Johnson, of Baton Rouge, La.
Achieving this required the creation of a city council and linking them with higher government organizations, he said.
Currently, Sayafiyah has an 11-member city council, with the council head reporting to the Rasheed Nahia council. From there, concerns are sent to the Mahmudiyah Qada and finally to the central government, Lillibridge said.
“It’s little government reaching up to big government,” said Lillibridge, a native of Smithfield, R.I. “It is a positive sign. Before we solved all their problems, now we’re letting them solve their own.”
The work has begun to pay off, and the yield is shown by recent Government of Iraq involvement. The GoI rural service committee chairman, Mr. Mashadanni, has visited the area, as well as members of the Ministry of Education, Lillibridge said.
Besides instilling confidence in the people about their government, these commitments pave the way for considerable relief to American taxpayer involvement. Originally, projects such as the building of the health clinic, vet clinic and governance center were funded by Commander’s Emergency Relief Program funds, Lillibridge said. More than $3 million was invested into the area.
Now that Sayafiyah has a voice in the GoI, Iraqi money is starting to make its way into the rural agriculture-based society. The Sayafiyah council has already requested funds to restore seven additional area schools.
The funds will come from $8 million pledged to the Mahmudiyah Qada, Lillibridge said.
With the GoI finally making an investment into the area, it now works to protect that investment. Because none of the day’s events or other improvements could have happened without security established, GoI officials are sending troops into the area to help maintain security goals and keep al-Qaida out.
In the next 30 days, a company of Iraqi army soldiers will take up residence with the 1-187th Inf. Regt. at Combat Outpost Meade, one of several bases manned by the Soldiers in Sayafiyah. A second IA company will follow sometime in the next three months, settling in at Patrol Base Vanderhorn, Lillibridge said.
“It makes our job easier,” said Sgt. Johnson, an Aiken, S.C. native, of the Iraqi involvement.
Such ease will help both the coalition forces operating in the area and IA joining them, since much work still needs to be done in the community to improve standards of living, said Col. Terry Ferrell, commander of 2nd BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. But for now, he said it is important to celebrate the progress evident in the new buildings.
“There’s work to be done, but not today,” said Ferrell, of Huntington, W.Va. “Today we celebrate and tomorrow we get back to work improving the community.”